Shinjuku City has several welfare programs that provide everyday living support, employment support and financial support to single-parent families. Please call for more information on eligibility requirements and other aspects of the programs.

If You Need Help with Housekeeping and Childrearing

◎ Subsidies for Hiring Housekeeping Assistants
You can hire a home helper or babysitter in the event of a temporary overtime schedule, business trip or illness, and subsidize the expense.
Hours of service: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Notes: The service is available for between two and eight hours at one time. You must register prior to using it. Subsidies vary according to income.
Eligibility: Must be a single-parent family with a child who has not yet completed compulsory education. (If the child is a junior high school student, only a family that has become a single-parent family within the last six months can receive this subsidy.)

If You Are Looking for a Job

◎ Job-Hunting Support for Single-Parent Families
The various services this program offers include advice and information on acquiring a license/skill, introductions to vocational training schools, accompanying you to Hello Work, and advice/counseling on how to write a resume and handle an interview.
There are also programs offering you financial support if you are seeking to obtain licenses and for designated classes that will give you an advantage when job-hunting. There are various requirements, so please ask for advice.
Specialized consultants are available for consultation.
Eligibility: Single-parent families with a child under twenty years of age

If You Need Funds for School or Finding a Job

◎ Single Mother/Father Welfare Fund Loan
Financial loans are available to support you while you go to school or look for a job. (The amount varies depending on the purpose.)
Note: There is a screening process, which includes an interview. Please consult the service counter as early as possible.
Eligibility: Single-parent families with a child under twenty years of age, who have lived in the Tokyo metropolitan area for six months or longer

If You Need a Break

◎ Single-Parent Family Rest Facility
Shinjuku makes designated lodging facilities and day-trip facilities available to residents free of charge or at low rates. These facilities cannot be used by a parent or child alone.
Eligibility: Single-parent families with a child under twenty years of age

Allowances and Medical Subsidies for Single-Parent Families

Income restrictions apply for both programs. As a rule, benefits are provided from the month after the month you file an application.

◎ Childrearing Allowance
Development Allowance
Eligibility: A family raising a child that meets any of the conditions below (allowance provided until the first March 31 after the child reaches 18 years of age):
– The parents are divorced
– The father or mother is deceased (or it is not known if he/she is dead or alive), or has a severe disability, or has been incarcerated continuously for one year or longer
– The father or mother has abandoned the family for a period of one year or longer
– The father or mother was issued a protection order from a court related to his/her spouse’s domestic violence
– The child was born out of wedlock
Allowance amount: 13,500 yen per month per child

Allowance for the Disabled
Eligibility: Those raising a child under twenty years of age with a physical or mental disability (Handbook for the Physically Disabled, Level 1 or 2; Handbook for the Mentally Disabled (Ai-no Techo) Level 1 through 3; cerebral palsy or progressive muscular atrophy)
Allowance amount: 15,500 yen per month per child

Child Support Allowance
Eligibility: A family raising a child whose child fulfills any of the conditions below (allowance provided until the first March 31 after the child reaches 18 years of age, or 19 years of age if the child has a medium or high level of disability):
– The parents are divorced
– The father or mother is deceased (or it is not known if he/she is dead or alive), or has a severe disability, or has been incarcerated continuously for a period of one year or longer
– The father or mother has abandoned the family for a period of one year or longer
– The father or mother was issued a protection order from a court related to his/her spouse’s domestic violence
– The child was born out of wedlock
Allowance amount: From 9,990 yen to 42,330 yen per month according to income level. If there are two or more children, 5,000 yen is added for the second child, and an additional 3,000 yen is added for the third and subsequent children. (As of April 1, 2016)

◎ Medical Subsidy for Single-parent Families
If you receive a treatment covered by health insurance at a medical institution, the medical expense, excluding that for personally borne expense, can be subsidized from the date of application.
Eligibility: A family raising a child whose child fulfills any of the conditions below (allowance provided until the first March 31 after the child reaches 18 years of age, or 19 years of age if the child has a medium or high level of disability):
– The parents are divorced
– The father or mother is deceased (or it is not known if he/she is dead or alive), or has a severe disability, or has been incarcerated continuously for a period of one year or longer
– The father or mother has abandoned the family for a period of one year or longer
– The father or mother was issued a protection order from a court related to his/her spouse’s domestic violence
– The child was born out of wedlock